The present invention relates to cleaning devices. More specifically, the current invention relates to hand-held cleaning devices for use with a cleaning product.
It is known that to adequately clean a substrate, such as a fabric or a hard surface, scrubbing may be required. It is a common habit to add a cleaning product to the substrate and scrub it with, for example, an abrasive surface. Such scrubbing usually entails rubbing or scrubbing a particularly soiled area, such as stains and collars, with a commercially-available pre-treatment product or a bleach product. Scrubbing thus provides improved cleaning by dislodging dirt from the substrate, allowing the cleaning product and/or the solvent to penetrate the substrate, etc.
Devices which are specifically used for cleaning are available, and are typically hand-held. Such hand-held cleaning devices include sponges, brushes, abrasive pads, and other devices. Typically, such hand-held cleaning devices are also intended for scrubbing the substrate. Furthermore, hand-held cleaning devices which contain a cleaning product and simultaneously dispense the product while scrubbing takes place are also known. Such hand-held cleaning devices typically contain a reservoir to hold a cleaning product.
In certain cases for enhanced cleaning, it may be desirable to add an activated cleaning product, for example, an activated bleaching solution, to a substrate and scrub therewith. However, an activated cleaning product may require the commingling of multiple products which are mutually incompatible with respect to activity, stability, etc. For example, an activated bleaching solution having high amounts of active oxygen may require both a bleach precursor product and a liquid bleach activator product; when combined, these two products release active oxygen, which bleaches the substrate. To provide the activated bleaching solution, these two products must be commingled. However, commingling of the products should not occur before the activated product is ready to use, otherwise bleaching effectiveness is typically reduced.
Current hand-held cleaning devices require that the incompatible ingredients of the activated cleaning product be manually commingled, for example, by mixing in a bucket, and then added directly to the substrate. Alternatively, a hand-held cleaning device, such as a brush, may be dipped into the bucket, and then used to scrub the substrate. Such a process is inconvenient and possesses significant disadvantages. For example, the user may have to dip their entire hand in the activated cleaning product. Thus, current hand-held cleaning devices are unsuitable for use with such an activated cleaning product. Additionally, the cleaning effectiveness of such an activated cleaning product is typically greatest immediately upon activation, and decreases over time. Furthermore, typical hand-held cleaning devices do not provide a way to continuously provide such an activated cleaning product.
Refilling the reservoir of such a hand-held cleaning device is also troublesome and inconvenient. Typically, to refill such a hand-held cleaning device requires that the cleaning product be poured into the reservoir. During such a process, the cleaning product may spill, leak, or drip onto the exterior portion of the hand-held cleaning device. This is inconvenient, and thus undesirable.
Accordingly, the need remains for a hand-held cleaning device which is suitable for use with at least two products which commingle so as to form an activated cleaning product. The need also remains for a hand-held cleaning device which continuously forms an activated cleaning product. The need also remains for a hand-held cleaning device which is easily refilled.
It has now been found that a hand-held cleaning device may contain, in separate reservoirs, at least two products which commingle so as to form an activated cleaning product. It has now also been found that a hand-held cleaning device may continuously form an activated cleaning product. Furthermore, it has now been found that such a hand-held cleaning device may be easily refilled by placing it in an appropriate refilling dock.
The present invention relates to a hand-held cleaning device formed of a hollow body member having an interior portion and an exterior portion. The interior portion of the hollow body member contains a plurality of separate reservoirs, while the exterior portion of the hollow body member contains an abrasive surface. At least one passage leads from each reservoir to the abrasive surface.
The present invention also relates to a cleaning system containing a hand-held cleaning device and a refilling dock. The hand-held cleaning device is formed of a hollow body member having an interior portion and an exterior portion. The interior portion of the hollow body member contains a plurality of separate reservoirs, while the exterior portion of the hollow body member contains an abrasive surface. At least one passage leads from each reservoir to the abrasive surface. Each reservoir is also in connected relation with at least one refilling aperture on the exterior portion of the hollow body member. The refilling dock contains a refilling station and a plurality of tanks, equal in number to the number of reservoirs in the hand-held cleaning device. Each tank is in connected relation with at least one outlet located at the refilling station. The number of outlets is equal in number to the number of refilling apertures on the hand-held cleaning device. When the hand-held cleaning device is removably placed in the refilling station, the outlets on the refilling dock mate with the refilling apertures on the hand-held cleaning device to fill the reservoirs with a product.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become evident to those skilled in the art from a reading of the present disclosure with the appended claims.